Whiting: Cop killing haunts night ride with police

Anaheim police officer Lou Santaella watches as fellow officers enter a home where an elderly woman was trapped in her bathtub. Roberta Curiel, left, and Juanita Carpio, are friends of the elderly woman and called the officers to the home. ROSE PALMISANO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Anaheim police officers investigate the scene of a crime where one of the suspects fled on foot. ROSE PALMISANO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Police officers Staci Dietz and Rafael Orozco look for a suspect who fled on foot. ROSE PALMISANO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Anaheim police officers investigate the scene of crime where a suspect fled on foot. ROSE PALMISANO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Officer Woojin Jun climbs a ladder to a second-story window, manages to get in without breaking glass and rescues an 83-year-old woman who fell in a bathtub and lay there for some 36 hours. ROSE PALMISANO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Officer Woojin Jun climbs a ladder to a second-story window, manages to get in without breaking glass and rescues an 83-year-old woman who fell in a bathtub and lay there for some 36 hours. ROSE PALMISANO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Officer Woojin Jun climbs a ladder to a second-story window, manages to get in without breaking glass and rescues an 83-year-old woman who fell in a bathtub and lay there for some 36 hours. ROSE PALMISANO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

There are two ways to face extreme danger: With jangled nerves or supreme calm.

Calm helps you live, especially when there's a cop killer on the loose.

It is Thursday night and I'm on a ride-along with Anaheim police. Because of a gunman's promises to kill certain individuals, a strategic mix of undercover and uniformed officers stakeout specific locations in this city.

But the job to serve and protect civilians continues. Officer Staci Dietz steps into darkness on a call. The manifesto believed to be written by Christopher Dorner cites Latinos and Asians as "high targets." Dietz admits her appearance fits both. Still, it's all business when she calmly acknowledges, "It's strange to be out with an X on your back."

Dietz and her partner climb into their black and white and resume patrolling. Yes, the gunman's target has now grown to the size of a rolling police car.

• • •

I walk into the Anaheim Police Department at 2:30 p.m. for the start of the night shift. With a serial killer believed to be a former police officer and threatening law enforcement, things are different.

No employee – officer or otherwise – is allowed to venture beyond the bullet-proof glass in the lobby.

As I gather with officers, one holds up a black bullet-proof vest. He and Sgt. Robert Dunn suggest I wear it, a first for me on a ride-along. A believer in listening to experts, I put on the body armor.

The shift briefing is like no other. Usually a mix of serious information punctuated by some light-hearted moments, the mood is sober and somber.

Thirteen hours earlier and a short drive away, fellow officers were attacked and a bullet grazed one in the head. A second ambush critically wounded an officer and killed another.

Most everyone in the room worked through the night, saw sunrise and are here on less than seven hours sleep. Many were on special detail.

There is a moment of silence for the brother officer. Black armbands will follow.

The air is thick with mourning and keen awareness of danger.

Before the shift, Officer Lou Santaella talked to his wife on the phone. Also in law enforcement, she understands duty. "Just be careful," she told her husband. "And watch yourself."

• • •

The briefing commander tells the gathering that the suspect went to high school in Cypress and that his mother lives in La Palma. Accordingly, law enforcement in Orange County is on extremely high alert.

He details the whereabouts of several officers who live in Anaheim and are named in the "manifesto" as targets. Officers' children also are involved. He explains the tactics of the trained experts who guard secret locations.

Near a table with extra gun magazines and ammunition, the commander reminds, "Keep your head on a swivel."

Deputy Chief Raul Quezada rarely appears at daily briefings. Quezada is here today. He warns the suspect has graveside instructions, meaning, "He plans to go out in a blaze of glory.

"Keep a tree between you and the road."

Quezada says, "We're all here because we have a sixth sense," adding what everyone knows but still appreciates hearing: "Watch each other's back."

Looking at the men and women in the room, the deputy chief can't help offer but one more sentence of support as he sends out his troops.

"Be safe out there."

• • •

Wearing the vest, I climb into a patrol car with Santaella. Agreeing to go with me, means he is theonlypatrol officer in Anaheim without backup. Half-joking, I mention I've gone through handgun training and was at a gun range over the weekend.

Ensuring I won't touch any firearm unless he's incapacitated and I'm facing certain harm, Santaella shows me how to withdraw his sidearm, where the red button GPS locator is, how to call dispatch, how to switch on the red and blue roof lights.

We agree that won't happen. But...

I mention I asked to ride with a Latino officer. Santaella is perplexed. I explain it's because the shooter cited Latinos as a "high target." The veteran officer who worked for Westminster police and has spent the last 17 years in Anaheim offers a thin smile.

Within 15 minutes we're ripping down a road on a call about a man with a blue gun. Santaella is second to arrive on scene. SWAT officers in full body armor jump out of an unmarked car.

A homeless man with a pink backpack argues and finally lies prone. Santaella handcuffs him. A search turns up a paintball gun and the troubled man readily gives it up.

As the officers help the man repack and prepare to send him on his way, a woman appears carrying a sign. It offers a short list of names and states "Anaheim police killed:"

It's a reminder there are few thank-yous in law enforcement.

• • •

Later, we respond to a call about an elderly woman who hasn't answered the phone or door for several days.

Officer Woojin Jun climbs a ladder to a second-story window, manages to get in without breaking glass and rescues an 83-year-old woman who fell in a bathtub and lay there for some 36 hours.

As we head away, Santaella reports happy endings are all too rare. He shares one he'll never forget. A distraught husband facing divorce hung himself. There were no signs of life. Still, Santaella cut down the man and gave him CPR. Eventually, the man started breathing.

Santaella, who grew up in Santa Ana, says his mother at first didn't want him to become a police officer because of the danger. He explains he's never regretted his decision. "This is my calling."

As twilight turns to night, we answer more calls, drunks, vandals, alarms. Suddenly, the radio crackles. There's a man matching Dorner's description behind some buildings. He is wearing a hoodie, carrying a black bag and has something behind his back in his waistband

With the police department's helicopter thumping overhead, we stop in an empty parking lot, walk up a semi-lit ramp and swing through the Anaheim train stop. Nothing.

We head off to another call. An SUV pulls up and the driver says he's just seen someone matching the suspect's description. Coordinating with Dietz and her partner, we scout the area. Nothing.

Dietz and I talk about the bizarre chain of events that includes a former officer apparently killing officers. Dietz says, "I almost feel like I'm in a Hollywood movie."

As the night wears on, Santaella's cell phone rings. For the moment, he lets it play his personalized ring. It's the Rolling Stones' "Gimmie Shelter."

Friday afternoon, Santaella starts anew, patrolling streets with other officers who won't stop until the suspect is caught or killed.

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